Pirates survive 2-OT thriller

There is no need to hyperbolize what happened Friday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The truth is outlandish enough.As wild as Conference USA has been over the years, it’s never been wilder.Shane Carden passed for 414 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, including a plunge across the goal line for the game-winner...

GREENVILLE — There is no need to hyperbolize what happened Friday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The truth is outlandish enough.

As wild as Conference USA has been over the years, it’s never been wilder.

Shane Carden passed for 414 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, including a plunge across the goal line for the game-winner, in East Carolina’s 65-59 double-overtime win over Marshall in the highest-scoring game in league history.

The victory keeps ECU (8-4, 7-1 C-USA) in the race in the league’s East Division. Central Florida can win a berth in the C-USA championship game by beating Alabama-Birmingham today, the final day of the regular season.

On Friday, the Pirates needed all they had to stay alive — multiple times. A harrowing finish to regulation was followed by a critical defensive play in the second overtime.

But the how was both thrilling and historic. After both teams scored touchdowns on their first possession of overtime, ECU’s Crishon Rose stripped the ball from Thundering Herd running back Essray Taliaferro. The Pirates’ Derrell Johnson fell on it to set up the winning drive.

On a second-and-goal play at the 1, Carden sneaked across the line, setting off an emotional on-field celebration.

Carden had already orchestrated a dizzying 11-play, 76-yard drive — during which ECU converted a fourth-and-10 play — hitting a leaping Danny Webster with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 52-52 with 4 seconds left in regulation.

“One of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of,” Carden said. “I’m really glad we got that win tonight.”

The statistics the two no-huddle, fast-paced offenses produced were downright cartoonish: 124 points, 1,118 combined total yards, 186 plays, 67 first downs.

There were more than twice as many touchdowns (17) as there were punts (seven). Ten players had at least 40 receiving yards.

Justin Hardy caught an ECU school-record 16 passes for 171 yards, both career highs, but didn’t score. Carden, conversely, carried 11 times for 14 yards — and three touchdowns.

Vintavious Cooper carried 14 times for 52 yards, enough to make the junior ECU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Dominique Lindsay in 2009.

“It means a lot,” Cooper said of the milestone. “Everybody’s worked hard. I’m excited for myself, but I’m extremely excited for the whole offense because I know it’s a big accomplishment.”

Starting quarterback Rakeem Cato passed for 318 yards and five touchdowns and appeared to have the Herd poised to take control until he left in the third quarter with a left knee injury.

Cato tried to play with a brace but hobbled, forcing freshman backup Blake Frohnapfel into action.

Page 2 of 2 - Frohnapfel, who had played in all 11 games but thrown just eight passes, completed 12 of 15 for 101 yards and a touchdown, but the offense had clearly lost the rhythm it had going under Cato, the league’s top passer.

Marshall (5-7, 4-4) finished with 633 yards of total offense but ended its season a win shy of bowl eligibility.

“It’s a shame that it had to end this way,” Herd coach Doc Holliday said, “but I thought our kids worked hard, and we will eventually get to where we need to be.”

C-USA’s previous highest-scoring game was TCU’s 62-55 win over Houston in 2003.

Hardy, a Vanceboro native, didn’t realize he had set a single-game record for receptions. But he did know he had just played in an instant classic.

“This is probably one of the best games I’ve been a part of in my years being here,” the sophomore said. “It’s going to be one for the books.”

The Herd surged ahead 45-42 on Frohnapfel’s 51-yard touchdown run with 11:12 left in regulation. They hadn’t led since scoring the game’s first points.

ECU tied it at 45-45 on Warren Harvey’s 39-yard field goal with 7:16 remaining after a brilliant, leaping interception by Pirates safety Damon Magazu.

The stage was then set for drama on a tough night to play defense.

“The fun part is, eventually, you have to make a stop to win that game,” ECU safety Chip Thompson said. “But the frustrating part is you give up 400 yards and a lot of points. That’s not good at all.”

Now the Pirates turn their attention to UAB and UCF, who meet at noon in Orlando. If UAB wins, ECU captures the division and plays in the championship game at Tulsa on Saturday. If UCF wins, as expected, the Pirates will wait to learn their bowl destination.

Carden will be watching today with his family, rooting hard for UAB. But not everybody on the team could say that.

“I might end up watching the first quarter and playing ‘Call of Duty’ the rest of the day,” Thompson said. “I just hope UAB beats them. I can’t watch it. I get too jittery.”

NOTES: The Pirates received the opening kickoff for the 10th consecutive game, ending Marshall’s similar streak at 16. ... Sixteen ECU seniors and their families were honored before the game. ... Former ECU and current Dallas Cowboys receiver Dwayne Harris attended the game to watch his brother Derrick, a Pirates receiver, play. ... The announced attendance was 46,317.

David Hall can be reached at (252) 559-1086 or at david.hall@kinston.com.